NBN Co. launches first business-specific network enhancement

The NBN Co., the Commonwealth-owned company set up to deliver the Nation Broadband Network, has today released the first in a series of enhancements to the fibre optic network to help enable businesses make the most of high speed broadband.

The NBN Co., the Commonwealth-owned company set up to deliver the Nation Broadband Network, has today released the first in a series of enhancements to the fibre optic network to help enable businesses make the most of high speed broadband.

NBN for Business will allow service providers to offer businesses the ability to run up to 50 voice services over the fibre network and offers extended levels of support for internet service providers, such as seven-day-a-week service and a one-hour response time to incidents.

“NBN for Business offers service providers the tools to tailor packages for businesses, allowing them to make use of a host of new digital tools to increase productivity and maintain their competitive edge,” Jim Hassell, Head of Product Development and Sales for NBN Co, explains.

“By embracing new technologies, Australian businesses can become more agile and responsive to their customers’ needs, potentially lower their operating costs and open up new markets.”

The new offering has been greeted enthusiastically by the communications industry, with Internode, iiNet, M2/iPrimus, and Macquarie Telecom confirming they will be among the first telecommunications providers to offer business-specific services using the NBN for Business enhancements.

Winning over the publicWhile the government has been besieged with public alarm surrounding the cost of the NBN, through a series of research studies the NBN Co. claims that:

• KPMG estimates that cloud computing over the NBN could increase the size of the Australian economy by $3.32 billion per annum within a decade.

• Deloitte Access Economics estimated that the direct contribution of the internet to the Australian economy was approximately $50 billion a year, projected to grow to over $70 billion a year by 2016.

• Access Economics says if 10 per cent of Australian employees were to telework every second day, total annual productivity gains would be in the order of $1.4 billion to $1.9 billion per year by reducing commute times, office space and staff turnover.